Saturday, October 15, 2011

Game Over. Season Over.

So yeah…it’s over.

You can blame bad weather, if you want. Maybe crap all over the poor umpiring that always seemed to go against the Tigers…there was plenty of that. Perhaps you want to blame the dreaded injury bug. And many will turn their least favorite Tiger into a scapegoat. Go right ahead.

But don’t do it here. Please take that to other blogs.

Quite simply, the Texas Rangers were the better team. Better hitters, better defense, better speed, and much better bullpen. The Tigers showed guts taking this to six games. They’re a tough bunch and no one can dispute that. They gave us quite the show this year. But that doesn’t make this hurt any less.

This is my 26th season watching Tigers baseball. And this one hurts the most. ’87 ended on a downer, but I was just a kid. ’03 was comically bad, but there were no expectations. ’06 was fun and came out of nowhere, so I wasn’t devastated by the World Series outcome. And ’09 was a heartbreaker with Game 163 and all.

But this year? Probably due to my increased activity with this blog, I’ve never been more obsessed with a baseball season. I think “obsessed” is the word I want there. Living and dying with the Tigers score, over-analyzing every move, constantly thinking about the game…I’ve done all that more this year than any other. So yeah, this sucks. It sounds stupid, but I kind of feel like someone close to me died. Maybe I’m just a baby. Bite me.

But the future is bright, my friends. Verlander, Fister, Cabrera, Avila, V-Mart and the rest aren’t going anywhere. Dave Dombrowski will make moves to improve the team. There will be baseball in Detroit in 2012. And we have a lot to be excited about. Most fanbases would kill to be where we are as a franchise right now. And hey, I can finally shave my stupid playoff beard! These damn squirrels will just have to find somewhere else to live.

So, as I sit here typing this up, still sad and pissed at the same time, I feel the need to dish out a couple bits ‘o’ thanks for the ’11 season.

Thank you to Justin Verlander for being a cyborg and becoming the best pitcher in all of baseball. At least during the regular season. Heh…

Thank you to Miguel Cabrera for silencing his critics with another borderline MVP season at the plate. I am honored to have you on my team, Big Mig.

Thanks to Victor Martinez for choosing to come to Detroit and showing us all what a real professional hitter looks like. Boomstick…shop smart. Shop V-Mart.

Thank you to Doug Fister for teaching me to respect The Dougie. And Fisting.

Thanks to David Dombrowski for bringing us Doug Fister.

Thank you to Don Kelly for being such a great comic foil for this blog. As I’ve said before, I have nothing but respect for Donnie as there’s no one in baseball that gives maximum effort on every play like he seems to do. My only problems with Kelly have been in how Jim Leyland uses him. Deep down, I enjoy having Kelly on the team. Don’t tell anyone I said that…

Thanks to Jose Valverde for teaching us all how to laugh, to dance, and how to be perfect in saving games.

Thank you to Brandon Inge for showing more class than he needed to this year, but still did. Of all seasons, the one where Inge pulls a Mendoza and gets DFA’d…I finally became a bit of a fan of his. I’m sure that will quickly change in 2012, but oh well.

There’s not enough thanks in the world for Alex Avila and the amount of pain he went through this year trying to help the team win. Titanium catcher, indeed.

Thanks to my favorite Tiger, Magglio Ordonez, for giving us one more year when it was clear that he was hurting most of the time. It was sad to see it end the way it did.

And thanks to Jim Leyland for making me love him to death, or hate him with the heat of a thousand suns, depending on the day.

Thanks to all of the Detroit Tigers for giving it everything they had this season. I’m proud to be a Tiger fan and am counting the days until Spring Training. And no…I will not be watching the World Series this year. But, go Cards/Brewers.

…

Oh yeah…

Thanks to each one of you reading this blog. Like me, love me, hate me, whatever. Seriously, I appreciate it.

This little poop joke blog that was started to amuse myself and a few of my friends grew a lot this year. I’m amazed at the amount of reaction DNR has received this season. Whether it’s through my friends at Bless You Boys, mLive, or other Tiger blogs…if it’s through word of mouth from people that somehow stumbled across DNR…or if it’s through the Twitter account I started this year (kicking and screaming)...WHATEVER the reason, I’m happy you all joined me on this goofy ride through the 2011 Detroit Tigers season. It’s truly been a pleasure reading your comments on my stuff, making friends with some of you, and even hearing from some in the Tigers organization. It’s been a blast this year to attempt to entertain you.

And I hope you keep stopping by in the offseason. I know that’s the time when many of you go back to using the internet for its intended purpose…porn. But after you’re done wanking it to the amputee midget fisting pics, stop by and say hi to your old buddy Rogo. It won’t be every day like it has been the past few months, but I plan on updating this site through the offseason 3-4 times a week. After all, there’s ALWAYS something to make fun of when it concerns the Tigers. And I anticipate there were be PLENTY of poor stuff written about the Tigers in the next week or two for me to make dick jokes at. Simonson, I’m looking at you, you twit. Don’t disappoint me.

Again, I thank you and wish you all well this winter. Hold your heads high, Tiger fans. It could be worse.

Great season, always have fun reading your stuff. Hate/anger isn't for everyone, but for me and the couple of people I turned on to this site we laugh our asses off. Thanks for making your blog a daily read. Go Tigers.

just for the record... 123 days till spring training, 188 till opening day in Beantown!I am spearheading the "Keep Maggs in Detroit" campaign this winter. I'm sure he knows that he is no longer a $10 million player - Perhaps he will take $2.5 million for a year to be that "veteran presence in the clubhouse". Its worth a shot, gotta give it a try. Cuz my cold, dead, crusty heart would break in two to see him play (if only part time) in a different uniform.

Many thanks to you Rogo...your a Tiger in the stands/cpu that understands baseball is fun...and really needs to be laugh at...really have enjoyed this Tiger team this year...and knowing Dave D. he'll do everything to improve our weakest links making everyone else that much better...

Love the blog, good work thanks for all the laughs and informative writeups. BTW does that goofy ass Simonsen even write articles still. I havent heard much from the goofball in quite some time. Rogo probably intimidated him and made him feel small shallow and worthless.

Ha, I had nothing to do with it. Like the troll he is, once the Tigers ran away with the division, he moved on to the Lions and Wolverines, for the most part. I'm sure he'll make a HUGE ass out of himself on Monday, though.

Thanks Rogo. Glad I found my way here last year from MLBTradeRumors. Furthermore, I'm glad we have some of these new Tigers locked down for a few years. It's gonna be a fun offseason, too, since Illitch openly declared he wants to spend a few bucks. We'll see.

I missed the 68 World Series, because of basic training. Haven't missed anything since. This has been a fun year to watch. This team has as much, or more talent, than any Tiger team I remember. They'll be back. Hey Rogo, thanks for keeping us entertained.

Thanks for the season man. You make it that much more fun with all your crude jokes. I wind up retweeting a lot of your stuff for my dad to see. I saw him this morning and he kinda said, "I thought the 'I hope the whole team signs Avila's body cast after this' was kinda funny, but the 'If I had a tumor on my testicle I would name it Nelson Cruz' was kinda crude". Yes it's crude, but it's hilarious.I 100% agree with you though. There was so much that could have gone better this series. But Texas is a great team and they beat us. It hurt a lot for me too though. After the game that put us down 3-1 I was just devastated and one of my friends saw me moping around and sorta said, "Stop moping, it's just a game. You can't control it." But these boys were awesome. And I'm proud of them. I even liked Ryno by the end of the season!! If that guy could just figure out how to swing the bat in April or even May...Anyways, thank you Rogo. I'm super bummed about the end of the season. I just really thought that this year was going to be their year.But don't worry everyone!!! It's ok, stop worrying!!! There's only 172 more days until opening day!!!

Well done. If not for Twitter, I'd have probably missed this blog. And for the record, anyone who tells the truth about Simonson is a huge friend for life. Thanks! That schmuck needs lots of reality checks.

Well, gotta say... season turned out better than I had anticipated. It was a fun ride. And thanks for this blog. Making me laugh when I really wanted to find whichever Tiger or Tiger's coach that made me mad last night and hurl obscenities at them for hours on end. I look forward to the Off Season chatter on here and cannot wait til next season.

Do Not Take This Blog Seriously.

The only thing I enjoy more than Detroit Tigers baseball is making fun of it and those that write about it. Most things you read here are meant in a humorous way. So do everyone a favor and lighten up. It's a joke. Oftentimes a bad one...

DesigNate Robertson was named after ex-Tiger pitcher, Nate Robertson and my hatred of his performances on the mound. He will be missed.

To those with an open mind and a sense of humor, I welcome you. Lets have some fun.